Lita Roza
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Lita Roza (born March 14, 1926 in Liverpool , England ; † August 14, 2008 in London ; actually Lilian Roza ) was a British singer who was particularly successful in her homeland in the 1950s as a singer with the Ted Heath Band and as a solo artist was. Her best known hit was the number one hit "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window" .
Career
At the age of 13 Lita Roza went to London with a dance troupe for training ; at 15 she was part of a comedy stage show with Ted Ray . During the Second World War , she got a job as a singer in a club in the seaside resort of Southport . Soon she went back to London, where she sang for the orchestras of Harry Roy and Edmundo Ros . At 18, she married and went to Miami with her American husband; the marriage lasted only five years, however, and soon after the divorce she was back in London. In the spring of 1950 she began working on the microphone for Ted Heath, with whom she recorded songs like "Allentown Jail" or "Blacksmith Blues" . Their version of High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me) was the first release of the later title track from Twelve Noon . From 1952 to 1954 she was voted the best British singer by the readers of the music magazine New Musical Express . In 1956 she married again, the trumpeter Ronnie Harris.
The song she is still known for today, however, is a cover version of a US hit by Patti Page , "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window" . In March 1953, the number in which the singer wants to buy a puppy in the shop window because she is moving to California and she wants to give her loved one the animal as a comfort and protector rose into the charts . A special gag of the song was that after the title line an animal “woof woof” from the coveted dog could be heard. Lita Roza's version rose to number one on the UK charts on April 17th; Patti Page's version only made it to number 9 (but was number one in the US).
She left the Ted Heath Band in 1954 and continued to record as a solo artist, but couldn't nearly repeat the success of her big hit. In addition, she appeared in television shows and films as an actress and singer and went on tours around the world, sometimes even with Ted Heath, but also with colleagues like Matt Monro .
In 2001 she was one of the honorees in attendance when the Wall of Fame was set up in Liverpool . On this wall opposite the Cavern Club , liverpool music groups and individual performers are immortalized each with a bronze record, the song of which reached number one in hit parades. The 57 currently recognized (as of 2008) include Lita Roza (first), Cilla Black , Gerry & The Pacemakers and the Beatles (with 17 plaques).
Her last public appearance was on November 28, 2002 on Merseyside Radio . Lita Roza died on August 14, 2008 at the age of 82.
Quotes
“Singers like Lita Roza just aren't made these days.” Sir Elton John
swell
- ↑ Charts UK
- ↑ according to Rocklist Music
- ^ The Independent : Lita Roza: Sultry interpreter of romantic ballads nevertheless best known for 'How Much is That Doggie in the Window?' dated August 15, 2008.
- ↑ "We just don't make singers like Lita Roza anymore." , Quoted in The Stage .
Web links
- Lita Rozas authorized web presence
- Biography and discography at 45-rpm.org
- Feature in The Stage
- Lita Roza in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Roza, Lita |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Roza, Lilian (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 14, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Liverpool , England , UK |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 14, 2008 |
| Place of death | London , England , UK |